LAKE COUNTY — October is The Big Read month in Lake County and the Lake County Library will join in the festivities to celebrate the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Poe is a master of mystery and macabre, a pioneer in the mystery story and in science fiction. From his pen flowed such classics as the poems “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee” and “The Bells” and prose works “The Purloined Letter,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “Murders in the Rue Morgue.” The mysteries of his short, tragic life intrigue scholars and fans to this day.
The Lakeport Library invites the public to share in The Big Read in the library and at other venues around the county. The Big Read website, www.neabigread.org/books/edgarallanpoe, has more information about other Lake County events.
Lakeport Library”s monthly book display for October features books by and about Poe. The library has purchased several copies of the featured book “The Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe” to supplement the other Poe books in the library”s collection. The Poe books will be on display along with fun and informative handouts for The Big Read.
Volunteers will read from Poe”s works during the Friends of the Lake County Library book sale, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St. For more information, contact Irehne Dishman, president of the Friends of the Lake County Library, at 279-8777.
“Slightly Scary Stories for the Little Read” will be the theme for preschool story times at two of the library branches. Redbud Library”s story time takes place from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Thursday at 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake. The phone number at Redbud Library is 994-5115. Lakeport Library”s story time takes place from 10:15 to 11 a.m. Oct. 14. Barbara Green, coordinator of children”s programs for the library, can be reached at 263-8817.
A special event for teens, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 9 at Lakeport Library, combines The Big Read with the Young Adult Library Services Association”s (YALSA) Teen”s Top Ten books. The combined program features a movie, “Edgar Allan Poe: a Light & Enlightening Look from the Writing Wonders Series,” and a podcast announcing the 10 most popular young adult reads in America for 2011. Light snacks will be served. Contact Amy Patton, coordinator of young adults” programs, at 263-8817.
For more information, the phone number is 263-8817 and the website is http://library.co.lake.ca.us.
Hours at the Lakeport Library are Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The library invites fans and friends to visit the library on Facebook. With a library card, patrons have online access to the collections of Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, amounting to more than one million books.
Jan Cook is a library technician with the Lake County Library.
